Blondie Bar
When I heard the gastro bar called Blondie, it immediately reminds me of the band Blondie and Debbie Harry was singing Call me! "... call me, on the line... call me any anytime!" That's my childhood MTV memory associated with the word "Blondie" and it is a good song no doubt. Definitely, I had called the Blondie Bar while I was booking next year season tickets for the Melbourne Theatre Company a few weeks ago. I am always looking for new places to eat whenever we are out and about. Blondie Bar is on the ground floor of the Melbourne Recital Centre at Sturt Street and right next to the Southbank Theatre (home of Melbourne Theatre Company). Voila! Perfect location for pre-theatre dinner and drinks afterwards. How come I didn't know its existence until now? Let's check it out!
Blondie Bar emphases on its French-Asian fusion cuisine which sounds exciting. You will find dishes from Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, Thai and Malaysia. The menu has a good selection of sharing dishes from starter to main are catering for the meat eater, pescetarian or vegetarian. All the poultry and meat are free-range sourced from ethical Australian farms providing high-quality produce. The seafood is fresh from the daily catch.
Here is the selection of dishes we chose on the dinner date.
Nori-Sesame Crusted Tuna - Mooloolaba tuna lightly seared in nori and white sesame seeds, served with Yuzu, Japanese whisky yoghurt and wasabi tobiko. The lightly seared thick-cut tuna slices are so fresh and tender. Love the crispy crust which makes a nice contrasting texture. The combination of the dressing and wasabi tobiko is the perfect match with the tuna. So delicious!
Blondie Thai Cakes - chicken and scallop lime leaf fritters, served with kaffir lime chilli jam, cucumber prik nam pla salsa and peanut. These little morsels are so addictive, they are not the traditional Thai fish cakes but chicken and scallop cakes. The chilli jam and cucumber salsa give a nice balanced kick of heat.
Banana Leaf Steamed Pork Belly - miso-steamed Rivalea pork served with Szechuan chilli oil and black vinegar. The pork belly is succulent and it is a nice tangy surprise when dipped in the Chinese chilli oil and black vinegar. The bean sprouts and mint added the lightness to the dish.
Teriyaki King Ora Salmon - Marlborough Ora King Salmon grilled over lava rocks, served with black pepper teriyaki sauce. The crispy skinned salmon is perfectly cooked and goes so nicely with the sauce, cucumber noodles and pickled ginger. Spot on with the flavours and textures.
Steamed Greens - Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce and crispy shallots. Eat your veggies especially when they are nicely cooked!
Blondie's Signature Flower Pot - peanut butter parfait, salted caramel, banana, chocolate mousse, cocoa crumble and edible flowers. This is the yummiest chocolate pot I had recently. The combination, flavours and textures are just wowed!
Pollinator Rum Baba Bombe - Kraken soaked sponge base, vanilla rum raisins covered in lavender meringue and honeycomb crumble. Presented in flamed with rose water tonic. Again this is a delicious Rum Baba I had for a while. The lavender meringue and rose water tonic definitely added the magic to the traditional rum baba.
2015 Riesling Dr Loosen, Mosel, Germany - the wine list at Blondie is not extensive but it provides a good selection from Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Majority of the bottles are reasonably priced under $60. It also emphases on the local craft beers in bottles or on tap to please the beer lovers. Or if you love a good cocktail, you will find all the classics here! Which one is your favourite - Cosmo, Martini or simply Hendricks? I love them all!
My favourite savoury dish - Nori-Sesame Crusted Tuna - Mooloolaba tuna lightly seared in nori and white sesame seeds, served with Yuzu, Japanese whisky yoghurt and wasabi tobiko.
My favourite dessert - Pollinator Rum Baba Bombe - Kraken soaked sponge base, vanilla rum raisins covered in lavender meringue and honeycomb crumble.
The meal we had at Blondie Bar was delicious. Loving the French cooking techniques incorporated into the Asian cuisines. Most impressed by the use of high-quality produce and beautiful presentation of the dishes. Blondie Bar is a lovely place not just for concert / theatre-goers, but also for a romantic dinner, catching up with friends after work or weekend family meal. It is a perfect spot for a summer night sitting at the outside bar watching the sun slowly setting into the dark. Definitely, we will be there quite a few times next year before the plays start at the MTC. Hope you will find the same enjoyment of the food and wine there too!
Blondie Bar
31 Sturt St, Southbank VIC 3006
(03) 9686 3389
